TheCable

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor-elect of Lagos state, has urged the police to adopt modern techniques in fighting crimes.

Speaking on Saturday during a condolence visit to the family of Kolade Johnson, Sanwo-Olu said the time had come for people to rise against indiscriminate killings.

He said when his administration comes on board, it would work in harmony with security operatives to ensure that this kind of incident becomes a thing of the past.

A stray bullet had hit Johnson during a raid by the anti-cultism unit of the police command at Onipetesi, Lagos-Abeokuta road, on Sunday.

The governor-elect said his administration will work in harmony with the security operatives to ensure that such incident becomes a thing of the past.

“I think this incident is a wake-up call to all that there is need for the police hierarchy to take a second look at the operations of their rank and file,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“A situation where men and officers of the police and indeed any security organization will willfully cut down the lives of our youths is unacceptable. We should all speak against it. We must all rise against it. The police should realize that they are there to protect the citizens and not to send them to early grave under any guise.

“I know that the 21st century policing should thrive more on intelligence gathering, tactical operations, which will bring about clinical execution of assignment. With this in mind, our security operatives should adopt modern techniques in fighting crimes so as to reduce incidents of avoidable deaths especially of innocent youths

“It is gratifying to note that the police authorities acted promptly. We read in the news that they have dismissed the officer who allegedly fired the shot that killed Mr. Johnson. This shows to us that we are not living in Banana Republic. We live in a society where justice and equity should be the order of the day.”